Ivy doesn’t just attach at the roofline. It grows up the wall, anchoring on the bricks as it goes. I’ve removed ivy off a wall before, and it takes effort the whole way down. And it isn’t so much an interwoven net as mostly vertical strands with a few crossconnects. You can’t just cut and let gravity pull down, and you have to pull most strands themselves. You can do them in sets, but you still have to grip each strand.
If you’ve got saplings growing in your gutters and you the renter are responsible for gutter cleaning, then you’ve not been doing your job. The saplings would have nothing to take root of if they had been cleaned.
I’d just like to say I’m envious of your Zero Effort Evergreen Nursery. Been trying to cultivate them for years. No luck!